Equality

Internal Competitions 2025-2027: A Career Breakthrough or a Tactical Diversion? 

Certification, Equality, Internal Competitions, Junior Professionals Programme, Newsletter-2025-02-28, Professional mobility, Promotions, reclassification, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 26.08.2025 the updated time estimates are available under ‘planning’: please note some will take place SOONER than originally stated: don’t miss your chance!*

Original article: Opportunities Announced, But Do They Truly Deliver?  The European Commission has announced its internal competitions planning for 2025-2027, introducing more frequent competitions and cross-category mobility up to AD10. This appears to be a positive development at first glance, but a deeper analysis of eligibility criteria and staff demographics raises serious concerns about how inclusive and effective these competitions will be in addressing long-standing career progression issues.  Continue reading Internal Competitions 2025-2027: A Career Breakthrough or a Tactical Diversion?  →

Unlocking Career progression for Contract Agents: untapped potential of GIPS Article 13 

CA screening, Contract Agents, Equality, Internal Competitions, Junior Professionals Programme, Newsletter-2025-02-28, Promotions, reclassification, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform, well-being, Working conditions Print This Post

What is GIPS Article 13 (CA screening) and who can benefit from it ?  Article 13 of the general implementing provisions (GIPs) for Article 79(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS) provides a pathway for Contract Agents engaged under article 3a of the CEOS [*] to advance to a higher function group (so-called CA screening), provided they meet certain conditions.  Continue reading Unlocking Career progression for Contract Agents: untapped potential of GIPS Article 13  →

Mobility Paradox: Forced to Move or Stuck in Place?

diversity & inclusion, Equality, Newsletter-2025-02-28, Professional mobility, Promotions, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

Changes in tasks and/or working environment’ (‘mobility’) are inevitable in any workplace, and in organisations the size of the Commission and the external action service (EEAS, with over 144 Delegations around the world) these are seldom user-friendly processes. As often happens within the institutions, the term ‘mobility’ itself covers a huge range of diverse exercises with different rules regarding the level of obligation, the frequency and to whom those rules apply. Continue reading Mobility Paradox: Forced to Move or Stuck in Place? →

Protecting Our Children’s Mental Health: Urgent Reforms Needed in European Schools

Childcare, diversity & inclusion, Education, Equality, European Schools, Health, Newsletter-2025-02-28, well-being, Working conditions Print This Post

The mental health and well-being of children in European Schools (ESS) should be a top priority for the European Schools as well as for the European institutions. Nevertheless, many parents within our community have raised serious concerns about the lack of psychological support, insufficient supervision, and how the system fails to address emotional distress among students. Continue reading Protecting Our Children’s Mental Health: Urgent Reforms Needed in European Schools →

Teleworking from anywhere: A question of fairness and modernisation in the EU administration

EEAS, Equality, Newsletter-2025-02-28, Teleworking, teleworking from anywhere, well-being, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 26.08.2025 here’s the new link with instructions on how to encode those TWA/TWOPE days, note that even Blue Book trainees can have 5 days.*

Original article: An already-outdated policy in a new era of work? The need for teleworking change, especially within the External Action Service (EEAS) and Brussels (‘HQ’) rules.  In a world where remote work has proven not only feasible but often preferable, the teleworking and teleworking from anywhere (TWA) policies remain a little too rigid and, to many, stuck in the past.

Continue reading Teleworking from anywhere: A question of fairness and modernisation in the EU administration →

EEAS: The Future of Housing in EU Delegations: A Call for Fair and Transparent Reform    

allowances, EEAS, Equality, Newsletter-2025-02-12 Print This Post

The housing policy for EU Delegations has long been a critical element in ensuring the efficiency, well-being, and security of staff posted to more than 144 locations across the globe. However, recent discussions about a potential reform of the housing policy have raised serious concerns among colleagues, particularly regarding the motivations behind this review and its potential impact on staff morale, effectiveness, and living conditions.  Continue reading EEAS: The Future of Housing in EU Delegations: A Call for Fair and Transparent Reform     →

The Frosty Chronicles: Navigating the EU Institution’s Subzero Realities

Equality, Health, Mobility and Climate, Newsletter-2025-02-12, office temperatures, OIB, Security at work, Working conditions Print This Post

As winter descended, so does the new norm for EU staff:  embracing the glacial reality of a target of 19°C in Brussels workspaces (a balmy 20°C in Luxembourg), leaving many buildings well below those targets. HR sources cite national law of host Member State of EU institutions for this limit, suggesting that they would lower the temperatures further if the law allowed it. For those of you not in the loop, this provision ensures that public buildings toe the line in terms of energy-use reductions (‘efficiency’). But while the thermostat complies, it’s the staff who shiver. Jackets, scarves, and an abundance of hot tea have become unofficial office attire and tools of survival. Continue reading The Frosty Chronicles: Navigating the EU Institution’s Subzero Realities →

10 Postulates for fairness – A better future for Contract Agents

Contract Agents, Equality, Newsletter-2025-02-12, Pensions, Petition, reclassification, Staff Categories, well-being, Working conditions Print This Post

Generation 2004 has been at the forefront of advocating for Contract Agents, consistently pushing for fairer employment conditions, better career prospects, and greater recognition of their contributions. Over the years, we have actively engaged with the administration, raising awareness of the systemic challenges contract agents face: barriers to career advancement, limited access to internal competitions, unfair contractual terms, and restricted mobility within the institution.   Continue reading 10 Postulates for fairness – A better future for Contract Agents →

Brussels European Schools: locally recruited teachers on strike 

Education, Equality, European Schools, Newsletter-2025-02-12, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

Generation 2004 has sadly learned that locally recruited teachers plan a series of partial strikes at several dates in February, including a march to the Office of the Secretary General. If their demands are not met they plan an all day strike on 1st April.  While we realise the negative impact to parents and children of this action, we can only sympathize with these teachers, who find themselves in a legal void making their jobs and lives a constant struggle. Continue reading Brussels European Schools: locally recruited teachers on strike  →

Locally Recruited Teachers in European Schools: A Forgotten Workforce? 

Brexit, Education, Equality, European Schools, Newsletter-2025-02-12, Working conditions Print This Post

The Backbone of European Schools—Without the Rights.  Locally Recruited Teachers (LRTs) play a vital role in the European Schools, ensuring high-quality education for thousands of children. Yet, despite their significant contributions, they face unstable working conditions, unfair contract terms, and a lack of representation – challenges that have been ignored for far too long.  Continue reading Locally Recruited Teachers in European Schools: A Forgotten Workforce?  →